Hunan is an inland province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, and Guizhou and Chongqing to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Changsha, which abuts the Xiang River. Hengyang, Zhuzhou, and Yueyang are among its most populous urban cities.
With a population of just over 66 million residing in an area of approximately , it is China's 7th-most populous province, the third-most populous among landlocked provinces (after Henan and Sichuan), the third-most populous in South Central China (after Guangdong and Henan), and the second-most populous province in Central China. It is the largest province in South Central China and the fourth-largest landlocked province.
Hunan's nominal GDP was US$747 billion (CN¥5.32 trillion) as of 2024, appearing in the world's top 20 largest sub-national economies, with its GDP (PPP) being over US$1.55 trillion.
The name Hunan literally means "south of the lake".[ Origin of the Names of China's Provinces , People's Daily Online.] The lake in question is Dongting Lake, in the northeast of the province. Vehicle license plates from Hunan are marked (c=湘), after the Xiang River, which runs from south to north through Hunan and forms part of the province's largest drainage system. The area of Hunan was under Chinese rule as far back as 350 BC. Hunan was the birthplace of communist revolutionary Mao Zedong,
Wulingyuan was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Hunan is the seat of the Yuelu Academy (later Hunan University), one of the four major academies over the last 1,000 years in ancient China.[Fan Chengda (1126-1193). Shigushanji(石鼓山记)："天下有书院四：徂徕、金山、岳麓、石鼓。"] As of 2023, Hunan hosts 137 institutions of higher education, ranking fifth among all Chinese provinces,
History
Hunan's primeval forests were first occupied by the ancestors of the modern
Miao people,
Tujia people,
Dong people and
. The province entered written Chinese history around 350 BC, when it became part of the
Zhou dynasty. After Qin conquered the Chu in 278 BC, the region came under the control of Qin, and then the
Changsha Kingdom during the
Han dynasty. At this time, and for hundreds of years thereafter, the province was a magnet for settlement of
Han Chinese from the north, who displaced and assimilated the original indigenous inhabitants, cleared forests and began farming rice in the valleys and plains.
[Harold Wiens. Han Expansion in South China. (Shoe String Press, 1967).] The agricultural colonization of the lowlands was carried out in part by the Han people, who managed river dikes to protect farmland from floods.
[Brian Lander. State Management of River Dikes in Early China: New Sources on the Environmental History of the Central Yangzi Region . T'oung Pao 100.4-5 (2014): 325–362] To this day, many of Hunan's small villages are named after Han families who settled there. Migration from the north was especially prevalent during the Eastern Jin dynasty,
Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern dynasties periods, when the north was mostly ruled by non-Han ethnic groups (
Five Barbarians) and in perpetual disorder.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Hunan was home to its own independent regime, Ma Chu.
Hunan and Hubei became a part of the province of Huguang until the Qing dynasty. Hunan province was created in 1664 from Huguang and renamed in 1723.
Hunan became an important communications center due to its position on the Yangzi River. It was an important centre of scholarly activity and Confucian thought, particularly in the Yuelu Academy in Changsha. It was also on the Imperial Highway between northern and southern China. The land produced grain so abundantly that it fed many parts of China with its surpluses. The population continued to climb until, by the 19th century, Hunan became overcrowded and prone to peasant uprisings. Some of the uprisings, such as the ten-year Miao Rebellion of 1795–1806, were caused by ethnic tensions. The Taiping Rebellion began in Guangxi Province in 1850, then spread into Hunan and further eastward along the Yangzi River valley. A Hunanese army (Xiang Army) under Zeng Guofan marched into Nanjing to put down the uprising in 1864. during the Battle of Changsha in World War II|222x222px]]
In 1920, a famine raged throughout Hunan and killed an estimated 2 million Hunanese civilians.
As Mao's home province, Hunan supported the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976, but it was slower than most provinces to adopt the reforms Deng Xiaoping implemented in the years after Mao's death in 1976.
In addition to Mao, several other first-generation communist leaders were from Hunan: Chinese President Liu Shaoqi; CCP Secretaries-General Ren Bishi and Hu Yaobang; Marshals Peng Dehuai, He Long, and Luo Ronghuan; Wang Zhen, one of the Eight Elders; Xiang Jingyu, the first female member of the CCP's central committee; Senior General Huang Kecheng; and veteran diplomat Lin Boqu. A more recent leader from Hunan is former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.
Geography
Hunan is on the south bank of the
Yangtze River, about halfway along its length, situated between 108° 47'–114° 16' east
longitude and 24° 37'–30° 08' north
latitude. Hunan covers an area of , making it the 10th largest provincial-level division. The east, south, and west sides of the province are surrounded by mountains and hills, such as the
Wuling Mountains to the northwest, the Xuefeng Mountains to the west, the Nanling Mountains to the south, and the Luoxiao Mountains to the east. Mountains and hills occupy more than 80% of the province, and plains less than 20%. At 2,115.2 meters above sea level, Hunan's highest point is Lingfeng (酃峰).
The Xiang River, the Zi River, the Yuan River, and the Lishui River Rivers converge on the Yangtze River at Lake Dongting in the north of Hunan. The center and northern parts are somewhat low and a U-shaped basin, open in the north and with Lake Dongting as its center. Most of Hunan lies in the basins of four major tributaries of the Yangtze River.
Dongting Lake is the largest lake in the province and the second largest freshwater lake of China.
The Xiaoxiang area and Lake Dongting figure prominently in Chinese poetry and paintings, particularly during the Song dynasty when they were associated with officials who had been unjustly dismissed.
Changsha (which means "long sands") was an active ceramics district during the Tang dynasty, its tea bowls, ewers and other products mass-produced and shipped to China's coastal cities for export abroad. An Arab dhow dated to the 830s and today known as the Belitung Shipwreck was discovered off the small island of Belitung, Indonesia with more than 60,000 pieces in its cargo. The salvaged cargo is today housed in Singapore.
Hunan's climate is subtropical; under the Köppen climate classification, it is classified as humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with short, cool, damp winters, very hot and humid summers, and plenty of rain. January temperatures average , while July temperatures average around . Average annual precipitation is . The Furongian Epoch in the Cambrian Period of geological time is named for Hunan; Furong () means "lotus" in Mandarin and refers to Hunan, which is known as the "lotus state".
Administrative divisions
Hunan is divided into fourteen prefecture-level divisions: thirteen prefecture-level cities and an autonomous prefecture:
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The fourteen prefecture-level divisions of Hunan are subdivided into 122 county-level divisions (35 districts, 17 county-level cities, 63 counties, 7 autonomous counties). Those are in turn divided into 2587 township-level divisions (1098 towns, 1,158 townships, 98 , 225 subdistricts, and eight district public offices). At the year end of 2017, the total population is 68.6 million.[2]
Urban areas
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Politics
The politics of Hunan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in
mainland China.
The Governor of Hunan is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Hunan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Hunan Chinese Communist Party Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Hunan CCP Party Chief".
Economy
Hunan is the 9th-largest provincial economy of China, the third largest in the
Central China region after
Henan and
Hubei, the fourth largest in the South Central China region after
Guangdong, Henan and Hubei and the fourth largest among inland provinces after
Sichuan, Henan and Hubei.
As of 2024, Hunan's nominal GDP was US$747 billion (CN¥5.32 trillion), appearing in the world's top 20 largest sub-national economies, with its GDP (PPP) being over US$1.55 trillion.
Its nominal GDP per capita exceeded ¥81,225 (US$11,405 or US$23,665 in PPP), making it the third-richest province in South Central China, after Guangdong and Hubei.
As of 2020, Hunan's GDP (nominal) was US$605 billion,
As of the mid-19th century, Hunan exported rhubarb, musk, honey, tobacco, hemp, and birds.
In recent years, Hunan has grown to become an important center for steel, machinery and electronics production, especially as China's manufacturing sector moves away from coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Zhejiang.
Hunan is also well known for a few global makers of construction equipment such as , cranes, etc. These companies include Sany Group, Zoomlion and Sunward. Sany is one of the world's major players. The city of Liuyang is the world's top center for manufacturing fireworks.
Historical GDP of Hunan Province for 1952 –present (SNA2008)[ Historical GDP of Hunan Province published on Hunan Statistical Yearbook 2017, ALSO see Hunan GDP Revision (Chinese) ]
(purchasing power parity of Chinese Yuan, as Int'l. dollar based on IMF WEO October 2017[ Purchasing power parity (PPP) for Chinese yuan is estimate according to IMF WEO ( October 2017 ) data; Exchange rate of CN¥ to US$ is according to State Administration of Foreign Exchange, published on China Statistical Yearbook .]) |
| year | GDP | GDP per capita (GDPpc)
based on mid-year population | Reference index |
| GDP in millions | real
growth
(%) | GDPpc | exchange rate
1 foreign currency
to CNY |
| Renminbi | USD | PPP
(Int'l$.) | CNY | USD | PPP
(Int'l$.) | USD 1 | Int'l$. 1
(PPP) |
| 3.5009 |
| 3.5495 |
| 3.5504 |
| 3.5769 |
| 3.5508 |
| 3.5055 |
| 3.3106 |
| 3.1575 |
| 3.1768 |
| 3.0149 |
| 2.8777 |
| 2.8590 |
| 2.7193 |
| 2.7294 |
| 1.7026 |
| 1.4017 |
| 1.4955 |
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Economic and technological development zones
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Changsha National Economic and Technical Development Zone
The Changsha National Economic and Technology Development Zone was founded in 1992. It is located east of Changsha. The total planned area is and the current area is . Near the zone is National Highways G319 and G107 as well as Jingzhu Highway. Besides that, it is very close to the downtown and the railway station. The distance between the zone and the airport is . The major industries in the zone include high-tech industry, biology project technology and new material industry.
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Changsha National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
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Chenzhou Export Processing Zone
Approved by the State Council, Chenzhou Export processing Zone (CEPZ) was established in 2005 and is the only export processing zone in Hunan province. The scheduled production area of CEPZ covers 3km2. The industrial positioning of CEPZ is to concentrate on developing export-oriented hi-tech industries, including electronic information, precision machinery, and new-type materials. The zone has good infrastructure, and the enterprises inside could enjoy the preferential policies of tax-exemption, tax-guarantee and tax-refunding. By the end of the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", the CEPZ achieved a total export and import volume of over US$1 billion and provided more than 50,000 jobs. It aimed to be one of the first-class export processing zones in China.
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Zhuzhou National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Zhuzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was founded in 1992. Its total planned area is . It is very close to National Highway G320. The major industries in the zone include biotechnology, food processing and heavy industry. In 2007, the park signed a cooperation contract with Beijing Automobile Industry, one of the largest auto makers in China, which will set up a manufacturing base in Zhuzhou HTP.
Demographics
As of the 2000
census, the population of Hunan is 64,400,700 consisting of forty-one ethnic groups. Its population grew 6.17% (3,742,700) from its 1990 levels. According to the census, 89.79% (57,540,000) identified themselves as
Han Chinese and 10.21% (6,575,300) as
. The minority groups are
Tujia people,
Hmong people,
Dong people,
Yao people,
Bai people,
Hui people,
Zhuang people,
Uyghur people and so on.
In Hunan, ethnic minority languages are spoken in the following prefectures.
Hunanese Uyghurs
Around 5,000 Uyghurs live around Taoyuan County and other parts of
Changde.
and Uyghurs have intermarried in this area.
In addition to eating pork, the Uygurs of Changde practice other Han Chinese customs, like ancestor worship at graves. Some Uyghurs from
Xinjiang visit the Hunan Uyghurs out of curiosity or interest.
The Uyghurs of Hunan do not speak the
Uyghur language, instead, Mandarin Chinese is spoken as their native language.
Religion
The predominant religions in Hunan are
Chinese Buddhism,
Taoism and Chinese folk religions. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 20.19% of the population believes and is involved in ancestor veneration, while 0.77% of the population identifies as Christian.
The reports didn't give figures for other types of religion; 79.04% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in worship of nature deities, Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism, folk religious sects.
In 2010, there are 118.799 Muslims in Hunan.
Notable people
During the late
Qing dynasty, Hunan emerged as the epicenter of revolution and reform in China, giving rise to many of the nation's most renowned scholars, politicians, and military leaders, including the most influential and controversial figure of China in the 20th century,
Mao Zedong.
Hunanese were pioneers in embracing foreign ideas, as seen in the works of 19th-century thinkers like Wei Yuan (魏源). As the saying goes among Chinese historians: "Hunanese shaped half of modern Chinese history" (一部中国近代史，半部由湖南写就). Their profound and enduring influence on China's politics and society persisted well into recent times.
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Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073), Chinese scholar and philosopher
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Wang Fuzhi (1619–1692), Chinese essayist, historian, and philosopher of the late Ming, early Qing dynasties.
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Zeng Guofan (1811–1872)
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Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885), or General Tso, Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty.
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Taqibu (1816–1855)
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Huang Xing (1874–1916)
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Cai E (1882–1916), Chinese revolutionary leader, General and Governor of Yunnan (1911–1913)
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Jiang Xiaowan (?–1922), interpreter
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Mao Zedong (1893–1976)
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He Long (1896–1969)
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Peng Dehuai (1898–1974)
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Liu Shaoqi (1898–1969)
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Ma Ying-jeou (born 1950)
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Yuet-ching Lee (1918–1997), Hong Kong actress
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Ted Hui (born 1982), Hong Kong politician
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Martin Cao (born 1993), racing driver
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Zhou Chengzhou (born 1982), Chinese film director and artist
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Lexie Liu (born 1998), singer
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Jackson Yee (born 2000), actor and singer
Culture
As of 2022, Hunan's culture and related industries achieved an added value of CN¥250.65 billion (US$37.27 billion), accounting for 5.27% of the province's GDP. Among them, the added value of cultural services was CN¥150.20 billion (US$22.33 billion), the added value of cultural manufacturing was CN¥78.28 billion (US$11.64 billion), the added value of cultural wholesale and retail was CN¥22.17 billion (US$3.30 billion).
In 2023, there are 655 art groups, 149 mass art galleries and cultural centers, 148 public libraries, 180 museums and memorial halls, 108 radio and television stations, 5.853 million cable TV users, and 27.441 million fiber optic Internet broadband users all connected to cable TV. The comprehensive population coverage rate of radio is 99.43%, and the comprehensive population coverage rate of television is 99.77%. There are 137 national intangible cultural heritage protection lists and 410 provincial intangible cultural heritage protection lists. 12,078 books, 235 periodicals, and 44 newspapers have been published, with a total print run of 590 million books, 80 million periodicals, and 500 million newspapers.
Language
Hunan is a region with complex dialects. The dialects in the province include
Xiang Chinese, Southwestern Mandarin,
Gan Chinese,
Hakka Chinese, and some local dialects whose identities have not yet been determined, such as
Xiangnan Tuhua and
Waxiang Chinese. In areas where ethnic minorities live, many people can speak their own ethnic language and communicate in Chinese.
Cuisine
Hunan cuisine is noted for its near-ubiquitous use of
,
garlic, and
. These ingredients give rise to a distinctive dry-and-spicy (p=gānlà) taste,
with dishes such as smoked cured ham and stir-fried spicy beef being prime examples of the flavor.
Music
Huaguxi is a local form of
Chinese opera that is very popular in Hunan province.
Tourism
Located in the south central part of the Chinese mainland, Hunan has long been known for its natural environment. It is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and by the Yangtze River on the north. For thousands of years, the region has been a major center of agriculture, growing rice, tea, and oranges. China's first all glass suspension bridge was also opened in Hunan, in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park.
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Wulingyuan is a World Heritage Site and a 5A Scenic Area. Located in south-central Hunan, Wulingyuan is noted for its thousands of quartzite sandstone pillars, caves, and waterfalls. The area also contains Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
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Shaoshan, known for being the birthplace of Mao Zedong
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Yueyang Tower, on the shores of Dongting Lake, was built in the Han dynasty and Jin dynasties, and has existed in its current state since the Qing dynasty. Alongside the Pavilion of Prince Teng and Yellow Crane Tower, it is one of the Three Great Towers of Jiangnan.
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Mount Heng, in Hengyang, is one of the Five Great Mountains of China, and is home to the largest temple in southern China.
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Fenghuang County, in Xiangxi Prefecture, has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List for its ancient town. Fenghuang is known for its incorporation of mountain features and water flow into city design, and the ancient syncretism between the local Han Chinese and Miao people cultures.
Education and research
As of 2023, Hunan hosts 137 institutions of higher education, ranking fifth together with
Sichuan (137) among all Chinese provinces after
Jiangsu (168),
Henan (168),
Guangdong (162), and
Shandong (156).
Hunan is also the seat of 12 adult higher education institutions.
Two major cities in Hunan (Changsha and
Xiangtan) were ranked in the top 200 cities in the world by scientific research output, as tracked by the
Nature Index in 2024.
There are three national key universities under Project 985 (
Hunan University, Central South University and the National University of Defense Technology) in Hunan, the third highest after
Beijing and
Shanghai. Hunan Normal University in Changsha is the key construction university of the national 211 Project, and Xiangtan University in
Xiangtan is a key university jointly built by Hunan Province and the Ministry of Education and a member of national Project 111. These five national key universities are included in the Double First-Class Construction of Hunan Province. As of 2024, they are ranked among the top 500 globally by the
Nature Index. Among them, Hunan University and Central South University are in the top 50.
Hunan University and Central South University are the only two Project 985 universities in Changsha, Hunan to appear in the world's top 200 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking.
Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha, the University of South China in Hengyang, Hunan University of Technology in Zhuzhou and Xiangtan University in Xiangtan were ranked in the top 801–900 globally by the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
National key public universities
Changsha City
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Central South University (Project 211, Project 985, Double First Class University)
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Hunan University (Project 211, Project 985, Double First Class University)
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Hunan Normal University (Project 211, Double First Class University)
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National University of Defense Technology (Project 211, Project 985, Double First Class University)
Xiangtan City
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Xiangtan University (Project 111, Double First Class University)
Provincial key public universities
Changsha City
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Central South University of Forestry and Technology
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Changsha University of Science and Technology
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Hunan Agricultural University
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Hunan First Normal University
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Hunan University of Chinese Medicine
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Hunan University of Technology and Commerce
Hengyang City
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Hengyang Normal University
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University of South China
Jishou City
Loudi City
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Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology
Shaoyang City
Xiangtan City
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Hunan Institute of Engineering
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Hunan University of Science and Technology
Yueyang City
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Hunan Institute of Science and Technology
Zhuzhou City
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Hunan University of Technology
General undergraduate universities (public)
Changsha City
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Changsha Normal University
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Changsha University
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Hunan University of Finance and Economics
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Hunan Police Academy
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Hunan Women's University
Hengyang City
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Hunan Institute of Technology
Xiangtan City
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Xiangtan Institute of Technology
Yongzhou City
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Hunan University of Science and Engineering
Chenzhou City
General undergraduate universities (private)
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Changsha Medical University
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Hunan International Economics University
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Hunan Institute of Information Technology
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Hunan Institute of Traffic Engineering
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Hunan Applied Technology University
Vocational and technical colleges/universities
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Changsha Aeronautical Vocational and Technical College
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Changsha Social Work College
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Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College
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Changde Vocational and Technical College
Transport
Airports
There are several airports in Hunan province, including Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport, Changde Taohuayuan Airport, Chenzhou Beihu Airport, Huaihua Zhijiang Airport, Shaoyang Wugang Airport, Yongzhou Lingling Airport, and Yueyang Sanhe Airport. The busiest airports serve domestic and international flights for Hunan, including Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport and Changde Taohuayuan Airport.
Notably, as of 2021, Changsha Huanghua International Airport was one of the 50 busiest airports in the world,
the 12th busiest civil airport in China, the second busiest in South Central China after Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and the busiest in
Central China.
Railways
The Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway passes through Hunan.
Sports
Professional sports teams in Hunan include:
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Chinese Football Association League One
See also
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Major national historical and cultural sites in Hunan
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Xiaoxiang, the "lakes and rivers" region of south-central China
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State of Chu, ancient Chinese state partly in modern-day Hunan
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Hunanese people
Notes
External links
